Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that he can't afford to flex the same financial muscle as Tottenham Hotspur's rivals at the top of the Premier League table.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's North London Derby against rivals Arsenal, the Argentinian explained that purses have to be tightened somewhat as a new White Hart Lane stadium is built, meaning Spurs must look at other ways to keep up at the top.
Poch explains 'completely different' project
"Today the project is completely different to Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea," said Pochettino, who went on to explain that he prefers not to speak about the situation because "you [media] or the fans can take it in a negative way."
The manager continued by saying that "we're building a new stadium and you know what can happen when you spend a lot of money," before giving the fans some hope by stating "maybe when we finish the stadium we must change the project."
Fans were left frustrated in the summer as Spurs failed to splash the cash in comparison to Arsenal, many feeling that they wasted the money they did spend on the likes of Moussa Sissoko, who cost an unprecedented £30million from Newcastle United.
Spurs 18 months away
Giving an update on the new stadium, which will take Spurs' capacity to one of the largest in the Premier League, Pochettino revealed "we are expecting to finish in one year and a half" and he believes that by that point the Lilywhites will "start to compete with different tools and resources."
For now though, his main concern is arresting a winless run of six consecutive games, a task made no easier by a trip down the road to Arsenal on Sunday, with the Gunners not having lost since the opening weekend. There has been a late boost for Pochettino ahead of the clash, with Harry Kane and Mousa Dembele both passing fitness tests.